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OPPOSITION DECLINES PRESIDENT'S INVITATION TO DEBATE REFERENDUM

2004-02-19 20:41:28

Taipei, Feb. 19 (CNA) The campaign headquarters of the opposition
"pan-blue alliance" presidential ticket formally rejected Thursday
President Chen Shui-bian's invitation for a debate on the nation's
first-ever referendum to be held alongside the March 20 presidential
election.

Legislator Huang Yi-chiao of the People First Party (PFP) , who
concurrently serves as spokesman for the "pan-blue" ticket of
Kuomintang Chairman Lien Chan and PFP Chairman James Soong, said Lien
will not evade the referendum topic in this Saturday's live TV debate
with Chen to be organized by major media organizations.
"Against this backdrop, we see no need to hold a separate
Chen-Lien debate solely on the referendum issue," Huang said.

Chen said in a live radio interview broadcast on UFO Network
earlier in the day that he hopes to hold a one-on-one live TV debate
with Lien, the sole challenger to his re-election bid, on referendum
issues.

Huang immediately turned down the invitation on Lien's behalf, on
the grounds that the "pan-blue alliance" regards the upcoming
referendum as illegal.
"Since we have questioned the legitimacy of the referendum from
the very beginning, we see no need to organize a Chen-Lien debate
solely on that topic, " Huang said. "Nevertheless, if Chen brings up
the issue in the televised debate this weekend, Lien will not dodge
the question."

Commenting on Chen's promise made in the same program that his
wife Wu Shu-chen will not conduct any stock transactions in the
run-up to the March 20 presidential poll, Huang said the "pan-blue
alliance" will keep a close watch to see whether the first lady
honors Chen's promise.

The wheelchair-bound first lady reportedly has taken up stock
trading as a "hobby." However, her stock trading activities, while
described by the president as legal, have come under fire in recent
weeks as the presidential race has hotted up.

Wu made her stock trading records of recent months public earlier
this week to show that she was not involved in insider trading or
other trading irregularities.

During last Saturday's first televised debate with Lien, the sole
challenger to his re-election bid, Chen also promised for the
first time that he will entrust all of his family assets to
professional managers after the upcoming election.